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Saturday, 2:15 PM

From the Metro staff at The Boston Globe

Explosion destroys Gloucester home

January 25, 2009 11:14 AM Email| Comments (19)| Text size – +

By Dan Peleschuk, Globe Correspondent, and James Vaznis, Globe Staff

GLOUCESTER -- An initial investigation has discovered a leak in an underground gas pipe in front of a house that exploded here this morning, a National Grid spokesman said at a press conference late this afternoon.

However, John Higgins, a National Grid spokesman, declined to directly link the leak as the cause of the explosion, which critically injured a 30-year veteran of the city's police department who resided in the Eastern Avenue home. The pipe with the leak was underneath the street, directly in front of the house.

"There was a gas leak, and we moved to make a repair," said Higgins, at the City Hall press conference. "It is now complete."

The state fire marshal's office and state police are now heading the investigation, while local agencies will be assisting.

While officials stressed the area is safe, National Grid crews will work throughout the night, scanning the area for any other potential leaks. Officials also announced the creation of a new hotline to report gas leaks: 800-231-5325.

The explosion occurred shortly before 8 a.m. at 76 Eastern Ave., near Route 128. Officer Wayne Sargent, 59, had just finished his shift and returned home, said Gloucester Fire Chief Barry McKay. He heard some noises from the oil furnace in the basement and decided to check it out. As Sargent walked down the stair case, while calling the oil company on his cellphone, the house exploded.

Sargent, who was conscious after the explosion, was flown by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital. In his short time there, his condition has been downgraded from "serious" to "critical."

The explosion damaged two neighboring houses, blowing out the windows to one house, and leaving the side of the other house substantially charred.

Earlier in the day, a National Grid spokesman more directly tied natural gas to the cause of the explosion.

"It appears that natural gas was the cause, but how it entered the house and how it may have ignited is under investigation," said David Graves, a spokesman for National Grid.

David Swift, who lives in the neighborhood, was buying coffee at Jeff's Variety, which is a few buildings away from the explosion, when he heard the blast. He said it sounded like a truck hit the building. He and four or five people ran over to the house and sifted through the debris to help the victim.

Sargent was standing in the basement of the house, he said.

"The house just disappeared from the street," Swift said. "I didn't think anybody would come out of that house after hearing that blast."

A sales clerk, Gayle Silva, said the explosion shook the store so much that tomato paste cans, cigarette packages, and other items fell off the shelves. She said she saw the house explode through a store window, as she was waiting on customers.

"It went up so fast. There were red flames everywhere," Silva said. "I've never seen anything like that before in my life."

Chief said the department had received a few calls in the last few weeks about the smell of gas in the neighborhood. Neighbors said natural gas crews had been working on the street in the last few weeks.

Graves said this morning that he did not have access yet to work crew records for that area so he could not confirm if work had been done in recent days.

Sargent was among eight officers commended earlier this month by the department after they safely apprehended a man who locked himself in his apartment and threw butcher knives at two officers, according to a story in the Gloucester Daily Times.

Sargent is a 1969 Gloucester High School graduate.

On Dec. 17, a house explosion in Scituate killed a man who was inside. The cause remains unclear.

The state fire marshal's office investigated but has not released any details. Police have said "human involvement" was a factor.

Globe correspondent Jenara C Gardner contributed to this report.

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19 comments so far...

It always seems to be a gas connection that causes these explosions. Would it be too much to ask for the writer in these articles to go into exactly what caused the particular explosion? Is it a total gas connection to the house or a propane tank next to the house? Scary stuff.

Posted by vincent la spiels January 25, 09 11:38 AM

I feel so bad I wonder what happend

Posted by Megan January 25, 09 11:41 AM

WTF? The poor man has oil heat, free of all natural gas risks and then naturally he almost dies in a natural gas explosion at home. Seemingly due to a known and reportedly being worked upon (or not) leak.

Officer Sargent (no humor in your name today sir) please get well soon and Chief McKay, you better get to work on getting to the bottom of this mess fast!

Posted by Brother Jake January 25, 09 02:36 PM

We live 4 to 5 miles away in Rockport. Shortly before 8 am, as I sat up in bed, there was a loud BAM and all the windows behind me rattled. 4 or 5 miles away! "What the heck was that?" I wondered. The street where the explosion occurred is a very busy one, and pretty much the only route out of Rockport to the larger world. Monday through Saturday, there would have been many cars passing by, but I don't know if the street area was impacted.

Posted by MKB January 25, 09 02:50 PM

Not sure how it entered the house???

'll go out on a limb and say the gas entered the house through the natural gas line connected to the house.

For a while I was thinking my next home should be heated by natural gas (less smelly and dirty than oil), but now I'm not so sure.

Posted by Gas man January 25, 09 03:51 PM

"Would it be too much to ask for the writer in these articles to go into exactly what caused the particular explosion? "

Yes, actually, as "the cause remains unclear".

What is known (and reported) is that the house apparently had something explode within it (a flammable gas such as natural gas or propane gas being candidates) and that neighbors had noted gas odors and noticed gas crews working in the neighborhood recently. Stay tuned...

Posted by the masked marvel January 25, 09 04:03 PM

"The poor man has oil heat, free of all natural gas risks"

Not necessarily: he may have had gas piped into the house for other uses, e.g. my house has oil heat, but a gas stove, cloths dryer and water heater.

Regardless, get well soon sir!

Posted by SC January 25, 09 04:13 PM

Anyone with a gas lead into their foundation of their home is suspect for a gas leak.....my street was completely torn up and all new larger pipes installed for the city drains....during this 3 month complete street reconstruction....the gas company wanted to know if I wanted to plug up their gas lead into my cellar from long past....I told them I will never use gas [ only electric and oil]....OK....the gas company [ free of charge] gladly disconnected my gas lead from my house to the middle of my street much to my security that my home would never BLOW-UP.....the City picked up this upgrade due to the reconstruction to my street.....my many thanks to the City and the gas company....forewarned is forearmed.

Posted by GUNGHOGUY January 25, 09 05:48 PM

Posted by GUNGHOGUY January 25, 09 05:49 PM

To #7, SC. you are quite right..bad choice of words considering I was thinking about my own oil+gas combination when I wrote that. I'm not sure what I was thinking!

Posted by Borther Jake January 25, 09 05:58 PM

My street was completely modernized from city storm drains to sidewalks recently....during this 3 month excavation the gas company knocked on my door about a gas lead into my cellar foundation from the street....I informed them I do not want a as utility in my home...I use electric and oil heat for decades here....sure enough, there was a gas lead in my cellar from the gas company's records....I told them I wanted nothing to do with gas....OK....the gas company obliged my request and disconnected the gas lead and secured it out to the middle of the street...the city and the gas company did it at no charge to me....I feel secure 24/7 that my castle will never BLOW-UP from a gas leakage. thabefell this

Posted by GUNGHOGUY January 25, 09 06:04 PM

cell phone + natural gas at 5% or 15% in house = KFB!!!!!

Posted by Dots January 25, 09 06:33 PM

one thing is sure and that is cell phone + natural gas at 5% or 15% in house = KFB!!

Posted by Dots January 25, 09 06:38 PM

Its has become the norm to have an explosion to find a leak. the gas companies have to stop focasing all its priority of residential service over its antiquated and aging distribution piping system. in this case it may prove to be his oil burner saftey valve never released the on top of his boiler which caused the boiler to rupture with an explosive force the likes of a gas explosion. stay tuned....

Posted by yo January 25, 09 06:52 PM

The story is unclear as to whether Mr. Sargent had natural gas service to his home as well as heating oil. The story also does not mention if Mr. Sargent smelled the odor of odorized natural gas before the explosion.

If he had natural gas service, then it is possible the leak could have come from either inside or outside. If not, then I am sure the natural gas leak must have come from a leak outside and migrated through the soil and through cracks in a basement foundation wall. If that happened, then it is possible that the soil may have removed the gas odorant from the gas and Mr. Sargent may not have smelled anything before the explosion. Additionally, it sure appears that Mr. Sargent's cell phone may have been the ignition source for the gas.

Posted by W Michael Shinkle January 25, 09 07:14 PM

Scary. My Aunt and Uncle live about 20 houses down!

Posted by Cereal January 25, 09 08:27 PM

These gas companies are hiding the fact that the gas infrastructure in this state is antiquated. Do you believe these morons in Scituate are blaming the deceased victim for the December gas explosion!

Posted by Peter Brady January 25, 09 08:43 PM

In another news story, I saw where Mr. Sargent was said to have smelled something funny and he was going to see what it was when the explosion occcurred. It is interesting to note that in a smell survey conducted in 1986 by National Geographic it was revealed that more that 40% of the 1.5 million participants who responded to the survey did not correctly identify the odor of odorized natural gas. Effective June 20, 2006, National Grid, like all natural gas distribution pipelines, was required to have a written public awareness program to educate their customers and members of the public who live near their pipelines how to identify a gas leak by sight, sound, and smell and what do to in response to identifying a gas leak. I am surprised that National Grid's representative did not refer to it public awareness program when interviewed about this incident.

Posted by W Michael Shinkle January 26, 09 12:23 AM

when you have a 6inch high pressure gas pipeline in front of your home rupture having gas or not will not stop this from entering your home as it will follow the sewer and water lines and enter through cracks,, the many cracks in all our foundations....this is fact....

Posted by jc January 29, 09 08:07 PM